These Candid Haunted House Photos Are Frighteningly Hilarious
In the wild, camera traps capture valuable ecological data. In this fright fest, they catch some pretty hilarious humans.
Camera traps are an important tool for wildlife scientists, who often place them along high-traffic animal pathways to catch unobtrusive photos. They’ve been used to conduct remote censuses of threatened jaguars and get a corpse’s-eye view of a vulture feeding frenzy…among other things.
Like capturing people’s extreme reactions as they get the pants scared off of them.
The Nightmares Fear Factory haunted house attraction of Niagara Falls, Canada, has been around for over 30 years, but it was in the mid 2000s that owner Frank LaPenna, inspired by automated roller coaster cameras, got the idea to offer customers pictures of themselves in the grips of shock and terror. (See more pictures of creepy houses.)
“At first I would stand in the dark with this little digital camera pointed in the direction of the people who were about to be scared. Literally taking a shot in the dark,” he describes. “Then I’d run ahead down to the lobby, pull the card out of the camera, and stick it into the computer to put the image up on the monitor for the people coming out.”
LaPenna’s setup has since evolved into something a little more sophisticated. Camera traps shoot pictures when a motion sensor is triggered—for example, when an animal walks through an infrared tripwire. LaPenna’s design is similar, except that the activation of the scare prop is what triggers the camera. His setup makes around 550 pictures of petrified patrons a day. And Nightmares is open every day, meaning they collect hundreds of thousands of scare pics a year. (Learn more about Halloween's surprising history.)
A bounty that poses a dilemma for scientists—of the heaps of camera trap images captured, only a slim portion provide useable data—has seen LaPenna’s business boom. In 2011, a viral story sharing Nightmares photos became so popular it crashed their website. (Since then, they prepare every year for the Halloween-time viral surge.)
It hasn’t always been the same for wildlife camera traps, which are quietly advancing good science the world over. Then again, we’re all animals at the end of the day—though not all of us seek the adrenaline rush of triggering a primal fear instinct.
“People think I’ve got skulls on the fireplace at home,” LaPenna says, admitting he’s actually not a fan of horror. “But that’s not it at all.”
Related Topics
You May Also Like
Go Further
Animals
- This ‘saber-toothed’ salmon wasn’t quite what we thoughtThis ‘saber-toothed’ salmon wasn’t quite what we thought
- Why this rhino-zebra friendship makes perfect senseWhy this rhino-zebra friendship makes perfect sense
- When did bioluminescence evolve? It’s older than we thought.When did bioluminescence evolve? It’s older than we thought.
- Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?
- This pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilienceThis pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilience
Environment
- Are the Great Lakes the key to solving America’s emissions conundrum?Are the Great Lakes the key to solving America’s emissions conundrum?
- The world’s historic sites face climate change. Can Petra lead the way?The world’s historic sites face climate change. Can Petra lead the way?
- This pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilienceThis pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilience
- Listen to 30 years of climate change transformed into haunting musicListen to 30 years of climate change transformed into haunting music
History & Culture
- Meet the original members of the tortured poets departmentMeet the original members of the tortured poets department
- Séances at the White House? Why these first ladies turned to the occultSéances at the White House? Why these first ladies turned to the occult
- Gambling is everywhere now. When is that a problem?Gambling is everywhere now. When is that a problem?
- Beauty is pain—at least it was in 17th-century SpainBeauty is pain—at least it was in 17th-century Spain
Science
- Here's how astronomers found one of the rarest phenomenons in spaceHere's how astronomers found one of the rarest phenomenons in space
- Not an extrovert or introvert? There’s a word for that.Not an extrovert or introvert? There’s a word for that.
- NASA has a plan to clean up space junk—but is going green enough?NASA has a plan to clean up space junk—but is going green enough?
- Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?
Travel
- Could Mexico's Chepe Express be the ultimate slow rail adventure?Could Mexico's Chepe Express be the ultimate slow rail adventure?
- What it's like to hike the Camino del Mayab in MexicoWhat it's like to hike the Camino del Mayab in Mexico